Collision
by vividelectra
Summary: After some of their lies float to the surface and complicates already complicated relationships, the girls' lives start falling apart. And for the first time, A has nothing to do with it. Post 3x08.
1. PArty AnimAls

**Author's Note: This is post Season 3 Episode 8 (Stolen Kisses). Based on the pictures and the promo, there will be a few more answers in episode 9, as well as a few new mysteries, so I might try and adapt the story to include some of the new information we get, but I'm pretty sure that this story is going to be much more of my own creation from hereon out. Also, I might be messing with a fewof the pairings for added drama, but know that in my heart, I ship Pretty Little Liars, not specific characters or couples. **

**P.S. Even though I desperately wish otherwise, I'm not perfect. So when you spot one of my mistakes, I won't be too offended if you mention it when you leave a review. And I did do some editing with the paragraphs and stuff, so if there is something that doesn't make sense, point it out to me! I just wanted to get this up before the next episode tomorrow night.**

**Disclaimer: Really? Do I look like Andy Reaser, Marlene King, or Alloy Entertainment? No? Well, then you've probably guessed that no, I SO don't own PLLs. **

**Summary: **

**Spencer took it upon herself to find Ali's – and now Maya's – killer. She hated that there were questions she didn't know the answer to. Hanna, on the other hand, held onto the hope that everything Mona did to them had some insanely good motive behind it.****_ She's not really a bad person, or crazy. She's not really behind A. She's going to help us find the truth. _**

**All Aria wanted to do was find a way to live happily ever after with Ezra, without constantly having to explain why she had thought it was okay to date her teacher – and that yes, he is a good man. Emily, meanwhile, is still grieving Maya's loss . . . by starting a little investigation of her own. **

**But that's only the beginning. Hanna is torn between Wren and Caleb, but she knows that she can't really have either of them. Spencer needs to find a way to keep Toby safe without lying to him, but she can't even get him to return her calls. Aria can't face Ezra after everything his mother said to her, and Emily starts getting mixed signals from the last person she expected to. **

**So, with some of their lies and cover stories finally floating to the surface, threatening to flood Rosewood, their lives seem to be falling apart. And for the first time, A has nothing to do with it.**

**Chapter 1: PArty AnimAls **

"Hanna! Over here," Aria Montgomery called, waving her hand to catch her friend's attention. Hanna started walking over, and Spencer wondered how she can seem so balanced when her heels are not only six inches high, but also studded with dangerous-looking spikes.

"Who's your date?" Spencer asked, her eyes scanning the large room. For some insane reason, the Marley & Me Fund – an organization that travelled across the country to raise money and awareness towards animal abuse and neglect – required every guest to come with a plus one. According to them, it could be your seven year old niece, your fiancée, or even your mom, but you would be rejected unless you had a sidekick. Spencer understood that it meant getting more people to attend, but in her opinion, they were wasting a lot of money on a party instead of holding a simple presentation.

"Spencer, about that-"

"Is it Wren?" Spencer asked in a neutral voice, trying to control her body enough so that she didn't punch her best friend in the face.

"What? No. Of course not." Hanna said, a little too quickly. "Who did you bring?"

"Speaking of which, what's up with you and Toby?" Aria asked.

Spencer replies in a tight voice, unable to keep her face from contorting a little – which proved that she was not happy with the situation. "We're on a break."

"C'mon, Spence, what's really going on?"

Aria tries to make up for Hanna's blunt question, as she usually did. "Hanna, she doesn't have to-"

"Of course she does. We're her best friends. If she won't tell us, then it'll be just like it was when-" Hanna stopped herself, but she knew it was too late.

"When Ali was still here," Spencer finished for her. An awkward silence settled over the three of them. It was interrupted by a rude beeping, which turned out to be Hanna's phone.

"Hanna! Why didn't you turn that off?" Spencer asked, glad that between the music and the excited chatter, no one could hear the obnoxious sound.

"I forgot, OK?" Hanna said defensively, turning her back on her friends as she pulled out her phone and gave a demanding 'hello.'

"Is this a bad time?" Came the British-accented voice.

Hanna cast a timid look at her friends over her shoulder. "Ah, no," She gave her friends a half smile as an apology before she walked off to find a quieter place. She headed to the lobby of the small hotel where the party was being held. "What's up? Did something happen to Mona?"

"Not exactly," Wren said.

"Then what is?" Hanna asked, not realizing how uncouth it sounded until it was too late.

"So this is a bad time, then?" Wren asked good-naturedly.

"No, I'm sorry. I've just . . . had a rough day, I guess." Hanna hoped her tone didn't sound too dismissive. But not only did she have to explain to her friends why she brought Lucas as her date, she'd also have to deal with the aftermath of her actions. _Does he think you like him now? When did he even start talking to you? Do you like him? Is this a rebound thing? Hanna, didn't you even think that you could be putting yourself in danger? What if he's on the A-Team? _Hanna was certain that Spencer would have a new question or accusation every day, and she would never hear the end of it.

"Is there anything I can do?"

Hanna laughed. "It's a sweet thought, but no, I think this is a little bigger than smuggling me a few painkillers."

Wren chuckled, and she could almost feel him smiling. "That's not what I meant."

"I know." Hanna says, her voice softening. "And I appreciate it. I just don't really feel like talking about it. Or thinking about it, for that matter."

"Well, not to brag or anything, but I'm practically a psychologist; you can tell me anything."

"Wren, why did you call?" Hanna asked, ignoring him.

"I actually just wanted to ask you if you're in any danger."

"Excuse me?"

"Why else would you need a weapon?"

"Weapon? What _are_ you talking?"

"Your shoes, Hanna; those spikes look incredibly fatal."

"Wait, how did you...?" Hanna paused, putting two and two together. She did a 360 spin, hoping to find out where Wren was hiding. "You can only hide for so long, Wren," She was startled to find that the only person she did see was Spencer, who was standing with crossed arms and pursed lips. "I have to go." All humour had left Hanna's voice.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, fine, I just need to go. I'll talk to you later. Bye," Hanna hung up, and finally met Spencer's stern, unrelenting gaze with a sheepish expression.

"So you and Wren talk now." Spencer said with obvious distaste.

"No, we don't."

"Well that obviously wasn't about Mona, so what was he calling about?"

"I . . ." Hanna bit her lip, wondering how she could explain it to Spencer. Ever since she had accidentally kissed Wren, they had both tried extra hard to pretend to be comfortable around each other, and to pretend that nothing ever happened. Sure, they both knew that it would remain a little awkward until they hashed it out to some degree, but it was easier to not think about it. Or at least it was in Hanna's opinion. But telling Spencer that she had initiated a kiss – regardless of how it could hardly even be classified as a kiss – with Wren would not be the smartest way to make amends. "Look, I know that you have your . . . reservations about Wren. But nothing is going on between us. I know what I'm doing," With that, Hanna pushes past Spencer to join the party. It takes Spencer a moment to respond, but she stays hot on Hanna's heel as they return to where they'd deserted Aria, who was now waiting somewhat awkwardly.

"Where were you guys?" Aria asked, handing them each a drink.

Spencer and Hanna exchanged a look, vowing each other to silence. Any drama with Wren was between the two of them, at least for the time being, and neither of them wanted to have to drag anyone else into it to pick sides or play the referee.

"Sorry. I was just about to interrogate Hanna on her date, when we realized you weren't around," Spencer says with a feeble smile.

"So who is your date, Han?"

"Lucas,"

"What?" Aria and Spencer said simultaneously, their faces reflecting their disbelief.

"Look, I know that things have been really sketchy with him. But his mom organized this party – she works at the hotel – and he offered to be my date, since he knows that Caleb and I split. I don't even have to see him or talk to him. We walked in together, and that was that."

"But why would he do that?" Aria questioned. "He doesn't know that we know that he owes us anything."

"I don't know, OK? He came up to me at school, made a simple, emotionless, no strings attached offer, and I accepted."

"And how do you think Emily is going to feel about that? He drugged her, Hanna. With drugs he got from _Mona_. " Spencer said in an accusatory voice.

"We don't know that for sure! And he's not going to hurt us. Believe me, I made it clear that he'd better keep his distance. But it would have been humiliating for me to show up with my mom on my arm, and I'm not ready to go back to that place."

"What place?"

"The Hefty Hanna place,"

Spencer's voice softened. "I thought you were over that."

"Yeah, well, you don't just get over stuff like that. I'm not as . . . ashamed of it, or torn up about it as I was before. But that doesn't mean that I want to relive some of my worst days, okay?" Hanna's confession changed the tone of the conversation, and a silence settled over the sombre-faced trio.

"So, where's Ezra?" Hanna asked. She was eager to get rid of the heavy feeling that was being held over her heart.

Aria stared at her shoes. "I don't know,"

"You guys haven't talked?"

"No," Aria sighed. "I've been avoiding him these past few days. I mean, I take his calls, tell I'm busy with my photography, or school, or my family, and promise that I'll come over soon. I just don't know what to say to him. He obviously already hates his family, and I think he knows his mom said something to me. But I don't feel like I have the right to tell him what a . . . bitch she is."

"Why not? He can't keep thinking that he did something wrong," Hanna pointed out.

"I'm sure he doesn't think that," Spencer offered, giving Hanna a look of mild disapproval.

"Can we please just talk about something else? I'm kind of tired of thinking about this," Aria said, sounding somewhat defeated.

"Thinking about what?" Emily asked, arriving at their tightly-formed circle with a perky smile and a surprising guest on her arm.

"Hi, Nate," Spencer said, her bewildered smile not quite reaching her eyes.

"Hey, Spencer," Nate said, giving them all a nod of acknowledgement. "I'm going to get some punch. Anyone want anything?" Only Emily accepted his offer. He headed for the bar slowly, probably sensing that girls would need some time to talk.

"Where's Paige?" Aria asked as soon as he was out of earshot.

Emily gave her friends a funny look. "She's at a family dinner. She couldn't get out of it." Emily pauses, inspecting their expressions, before pulling back with an equally puzzled look. "You guys didn't really think that...?"

"No!" Hanna insisted. "Well, maybe for a second, but we know that you wouldn't."

"We were in the middle of asking Aria when she was in the middle of resolving this thing with Ezra and his family," Spencer offered, eager to get onto another, less awkward topic.

"I came with my family, so technically, Mike was my date."

"How are your parents?"

"Good. They're civil to each other, and I don't think there is so much tension now that they're officially divorced. I'm happy that my mom's dating again; I just hope that it doesn't send my dad straight into Meredith's arms again. He can date anyone else he wants to, but just not her. It's too painful," Aria admitted. Her slightly pained expression was fitting, as if to prove her point. "What about you, Spence? Who'd you come with?"

"Toby's still out of town?" Emily asked sympathetically.

"Yes, he is. But if – and when – he comes back, we're going to be fine again."

"So you're going to tell him the truth?"

"No! I still need to protect him from some of our secrets, despite what he thinks. But I'll tell him something, like about the note in Mrs. Reynolds's hospital room. I have to give him _something_."

"Isn't it strange that none of us are actually spending time with out dates?" Hanna asked suddenly.

"We'd prefer if you kept away from yours, Hanna," Spencer said, giving her a pointed look.

"You don't have to worry about that." Hanna said. "But stop changing the subject and tell us who you came with."

Spencer freezes, a guilty look floating across her face. "I came with Caleb,"

Hanna's face reflected her shock. "Excuse me?" Emily made a quick excuse about spending some time with Nate, and Aria also drifted away quickly, saying she had assigned herself the duty of chaperoning Mike for the evening.

"He helped _us_ out with the password, so I owed him. We're friends,"

"Yeah, well, Toby and I are 'friends' too, Spence, but I would never even think about bringing him as my date."

"But you don't mind spending time with Wren, do you?"

"It's not the same thing,"

"Yes, it is!"

"It's not. You don't love Wren anymore. You don't even like him! But I love Caleb, and I'm not ready for our relationship to be over, and it feels like a slap in the face to have you interfering like this!"

"I'm not 'interfering.' I'm spending time with a friend. He's allowed to have friends, Hanna." Spencer's voice was firm. "It won't change anything between the two of you. In fact, I like that I can have some time to take my mind off the fact that my life is falling apart!" Spencer stalked off, leaving Hanna with trembling hands and a guilty, empty feeling. It wasn't the first time that she and her friends had a disagreement, but they usually found a compromise for the good of the cause – and the cause usually involved the A-team. This time, there was nothing that would force either of them to apologize, so one of them would have to humble themselves in order to be the one to make the peace. Sadly, Hanna and Spencer both struggled with their pride and stubbornness.

Hanna was in the middle of making her exit when a woman in a silk suit appeared on stage, requesting for everyone to gather around in an annoyingly cheery voice.

"Welcome to you all, and thank you so much for coming and supporting this lovely cause. For those of you who don't know me, I'm Rachel Jenkins, the Philadelphia representative for the Marley & Me Fund." As the woman – or, rather, Rachel – rambled on about what she did, Hanna wondered how noticeable it would be if she pushed through the crowds. It would look rude to leave, but the exit was only a few feet away, and she could probably get away with it. Although she didn't really care if people saw her as heartless if she left so early, she didn't want any of her friends to see her leaving. She'd have to make a long explanation, or lie and give a shorter version, or even-

"Hanna?" Hanna turned to face the familiar voice, her disdainful expression set firmly on her face.

"What do you want, Lucas?"

* * *

"Hey," Spencer said, joining Toby on one of the overstuffed couches that was set up against the back wall.

"What happened to you?"

"What do you mean?" Spencer asked, self-consciously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"You look kind of . . . shaken. Or dazed."

"I had a fight, with Hanna. I'm not usually one to feel guilty after shouting at someone, but I think that's because I'm usually right."

"What did you guys fight about?"

"You," Spencer replied with a dry smile that some called her signature.

"Me?" Caleb questioned with raised eyebrows, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly in amusement.

"Yes, _you_," Spencer said. "Hanna's not very happy with us being friends. She's jealous, I guess. She said I'm 'interfering' with your relationship."

"Our relationship doesn't exist anymore," Caleb stated in an emotionless voice.

"Maybe not, but she said that it felt like a 'slap in the face' for me to be showing up with you. I guess she had a point; I wouldn't be happy if she showed up here with Toby." Spencer paused, mostly talking to herself. "Then again, that's exactly what she's doing with Wren."

"And what exactly is she doing with him?" Caleb asked in a tense voice.

Spencer realized how it must have sounded. "I didn't mean it like that. Nothing is going on between them, as far as I know."

"As far as you know?" Caleb's skepticism was evident.

"Caleb, everyone has secrets. You know that."

"Yeah, I guess so. I just wish they didn't."

* * *

"Are you serious?"

"Dead serious. The fish had to be at least twice her size, but she still insisted on carrying it the six miles back to the lodge."

"Did she make it?"

"No," Nate said, laughing at the memory. "Around the two mile mark, she started dragging it along, and my dad eventually offered to carry it."

"Did you ever eat it?"

"Yeah, we did. It took forever to clean it out, but we finally had it cooked by midnight. It was one of the best meals I've ever had."

"It must've been amazing. How old was she?"

"Eight or nine. She always had a fire in her spirit, didn't she?"

Emily smiled, thinking of Maya. "Yeah. I always saw her as this amazing free spirit. It was like she believed she could do anything, be anyone. There were no rules or boundaries in her life."

"Isn't it weird, how it becomes such a habit to talk about her in the past tense? I remember how hard it was to do that at the beginning."

"Hey guys, sorry to interrupt," Aria said, approaching them with a serious expression. "Em, I just wanted to tell that you that I think I'm going to head out. I couldn't find Hanna or Spence, and I guess I just wanted someone to know."

Emily frowned in concern. "Sure. Is everything okay?"

Aria gave Nate a hesitant glance, before deciding she might as well speak up in front of him; it's not like she was revealing state secret. "Yeah, I just . . . I need to talk to Ezra. I can't ignore him forever."

"You're right. I hope everything works out okay?"

Aria gives her friend a tearful smile. "Thanks. So do I."

* * *

"Uh, we're supposed to team up with our 'dates.' Apparently, they planned to entertain us with some cheesy, overrated party game." Lucas said, sounding very cautious.

"Well, I'm leaving, so you better find someone else to play your little games with." Hanna's voice carried a bitter edge.

"Hanna, I don't know what you think I did, but-"

"I'm not doing this with you, okay? Good-bye, Lucas." With that, Hanna turned on her heel. She flinched when she felt his hand wrap tightly around her arm. He had a surprisingly strong grip for someone with such puny arms, and in an alternate universe where she was positive that he was one of the good guys, she would've made a joke about it. "Let go of me,"

"Not until you listen to me."

Hanna tried not to sound too panicked. "Lucas, I swear, if you-"

"Is there a problem here, _Lucas_?" Hanna breathed a sigh of relief – someone was rescuing her.

Lucas gave Hanna a withering look before releasing her arm and taking a step back. "No," was all he said before quickly walking away, head down.

"Are you okay?" Caleb asked. Hanna wanted to believe that she saw a flicker of concern in his eyes, but she knew it would be stupid to get her hopes up.

"I'm . . . fine. Thanks." Caleb gave a curt nod, slowly backing away.

Hanna felt a tug at her heart, and she spoke up before she could stop herself. "Caleb, wait." To her surprise, he did, so she didn't hesitate to close the distance between them. "I know what you think you saw that day at the New Window Brew, but I promise, nothing is going on between me and Wren."

"Hanna, it doesn't matter. We're not together anymore." Caleb said, giving a hasty, dismissive shrug. He turned around, but before he even moved an inch, he spun back around, a new flash of anger appearing on his face. "And even if we were, it wouldn't help. Anything to do with Wren would have to do with Mona, and you already know how I feel about that." Hanna started to protest, but he cut her off. "Tell me I'm wrong, Hanna."

Hanna couldn't find her voice. What could she say to make up for it? She couldn't tell him the truth. Like Spencer kept pointing out, their secrets were dangerous, and the only way to keep Caleb safe, was for her to keep him out of the loop. Sadly, it meant that he no longer trusted her, or even believed that she loved him. He had no respect for her. Hanna sighed, unsure of what she could say to make things okay between them again. "Caleb, I know that you think that I tried to push you away, but there were a lot of things going on that I couldn't tell you about. And I still can't. I'm sorry that I hurt you, that's the last thing I-"

"Hanna, don't bother apologizing, okay? I'm over it."

Hanna blinked back the tears that were clinging to her lashes. Before she could say anything else, Caleb walked away in long strides.

That was it. She couldn't handle it anymore. The entire night she had been fighting feelings of powerlessness, and hopelessness, and loneliness, and she just could _not_ handle it anymore. It wasn't that she wanted to be dramatic and re-enact some corny RomCom, but her actions came from a place of pain, and she wasn't going to try to get over it by suffering in silence. And actions speak louder than words. So, with a numb feeling in the pit of her stomach, she ran to front of the hotel as fast as she could. She was desperate for an escape, and getting some fresh air seemed like the most logical option. Not that logic had really been a big influencer for her in the past.

It wasn't often that she was unable to put on her 'happy face' or at least her 'I'm-bored and fed up' facade. But that night, she was scared - and _really_ scared, for the first time since they had locked Mona up. Sure, there had been the A-Team to worry about, and getting Caleb back, and getting answers from Mona, but she had never really doubted that things would eventually turn out okay. She wanted to laugh at her own naivety, for thinking that things would be easier this year. It seemed like with every answer they got, three more questions popped up.

And, in Hanna's opinion, unless your last name was Hastings, you could only handle so much pressure before you started breaking. As she was contemplating . . . everything, she heard a set of footsteps behind her. She wondered if she should be scared – after all, no one would be able to hear her cry for help on this deserted street, and the music was certainly too loud inside for anyone to come to her rescue. It seemed depressing for Hanna to discover that she no longer had any energy or fight left – she couldn't even feel a rush of fear or adrenaline at the possibility that she might be in danger. Digging deep and trying to be vulnerable for her and Caleb's relationship's sake had left her more drained than she had imagined. And the worst part was that it didn't make a difference. He was over her, and that was that.


	2. Been There, Done ThAt

"Caleb!" Spencer called, grabbing his arm as he marched past her. "Were you leaving?"

"What? Oh, uh, no," Caleb said unconvincingly.

"You're a surprisingly bad liar." Spencer stated, smirking.

"And _why_ is that so surprising?"

"Well, usually when people have a lot of run-ins with the law, they develop a few techniques to make dishonesty seem like the truth."

"I guess I'm just saving my best lies for the precinct, then."

Spencer laughed and put on her best detective voice. "Tell me, Mr. Rivers, were you planning on abandoning your amazing date, leaving her to play a cheesy, ridiculous party game all on her own?"

"I guess not," Caleb said with a wink. He turned his attention to the mass of people who were all paired off with their dates. "So how does this work?"

Spencer bit her lip. "Honestly? I have no idea,"

"Wanna bail?"

"On one condition."

"What?"

"You have to tell me what you and Hanna were just talking about. Or, more specifically, why you walked away."

* * *

"Hanna?"

"I'm tired of people saying my name," Hanna said simply, not even turning to face Wren. She wondered how long he'd been watching her, or whether it was a pure coincidence that he happened to be outside. "Nothing good ever follows."

"Is everything okay?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Hanna said, sinking onto a bench that she hadn't noticed before. With a smirk, she added, "But I could use those painkillers right about now."

Wren sat down next to her, a compassionate expression on his face. "Well, if working with mental patients has told me one thing, it's that talking about it does end up helping."

"Yeah, well, it doesn't help if you want to stop thinking about it." Hanna finally met Wren's empathetic smile. "Wren, I want to apologize for . . . kissing you. It was out of line, and inappropriate, and I don't even know why I did it."

Wren looked a little taken aback, and Hanna realized that she had approached the topic candidly, and he probably wasn't used to it yet. "So you regret it?" He asked slowly, carefully.

"It's . . ."

"Complicated?"

"I guess, yeah. It's not like there's anything wrong with you, because, believe me, there's not. But I have a lot going on, and I can't drag you into it. It's never ended well when other people got involved, and I'm still dealing with some of the aftermath."

"What if you're not dragging me into? What if I'm stepping into it?"

Hanna felt her mouth hanging open slightly. She pressed her lips together, and her eyes drifted to her hands, which were folded in her lap. "Then I'd say that you're really idiotic," Wren laughed, but Hanna could barely crack a smile. "Wren, you don't exactly have the best track record when it comes to dating. I'm just trying to remind you to think about what you're doing and make the wise choice,"

"And what _would_ be the wise choice here, Hanna? To ignore you? To pretend like Mona is the only mutual interest between us?"

"Isn't it?" Hanna asked, meeting his piercing gaze. "You may not realize this, but I'm dangerous."

Wren laughed again. "Are you, now?"

Hanna was surprised to realize that a small smile had somehow reached her lips. "I'm serious, okay? I know this is going to sound crazy, and you might not believe me, but . . . I'm not sure if I actually like you. Or, I do, but I have so much going on that I can't decide if I'm attracted to you or just . . . Lonely." Hanna paused, deciding that she should continue with her brutal honesty. It was the least she could do to try and lift some of the weight that was pressing down on her shoulders. "And even if I figure out that I do like you like that, I don't think we could work. Are you seeing me right now? I'm a hot mess, and you know it. Until I get my _shit_ together, I can't pull you, or anyone else, into this. It wouldn't be fair to you, or Spencer, or . . . Or Caleb."  
"Why are you worried about Spencer?"

"She's . . . wary about you."

"And what about Caleb?"

"What about him?"

"Why are you worried about him?"

"Because . . . believe it or not, I just tried to convince him that there's nothing going on between us. Do you know what it would be like if we started seeing each other?"

"So you still love him,"

Hanna was surprised. "Yeah, and I don't know when I'll stop. I'm confused, and overwhelmed, and I need some time. But I don't want things to be . . . weird between us."

"It won't be," Wren promised, giving her a wry grin.

"Thanks." Hanna paused. "Isn't this weird? Us talking about our feelings in such a casual way?"

"Why?" Wren asked, his smile growing more sincere. "What are you used to?"

"Secrets and mysteries and unanswered questions,"

"Then I can see why you'd be confused; you're not used to things being this easy." Even though Wren spoke in such a joking manner, Hanna realized that he was right. With Sean, he had the whole Pastor's kid thing, where you weren't even allowed to mention the word 'sex.' With Caleb, it was easier, but still . . . hard. He had eventually confided in her, but she had a feeling that he saw being vulnerable as being weak, and it would always be a struggle for him to open up.

"I'm sorry for what I said about your dating history," Hanna said quietly. "I guess I haven't had the best run, either."

"No, you had every right to bring that up. I've made some bad choices; I can't lie about that."

"Believe it or not, dating me wouldn't have been a very good choice, either."

"Why, because you're so dangerous?" Wren teased. Hanna was about to make some sarcastic comment, but her phone rang.

"Sorry, I have to take this." Hanna got up and walked a few feet away from Wren. It was an unknown caller, and she didn't want him to overhear anything he shouldn't. "Hello?"

"Hanna," Hanna couldn't place the voice, but it was vaguely familiar.

"Yeah, who's this?"

"It's Detective Wilden."

"What do you want? Did I spend too much time in church again?"

"I'm calling about Lucas Gottesman."

"What about him?"

"I think you should come down to the station."

"So you can have a chance to steal my blood? No, thanks."

"Hanna." He warned. "This is serious business.

Hanna dropped her sarcastic tone. "Did something happen to him? Is he okay?"

"Besides being suicidal?"

* * *

"Aria?" Ezra sounded surprised when he opened the door, and Aria didn't blame him. Wordlessly, she pushed past him and dropped down on his couch, waiting until he closed the door and sat down next to her before talking. "I'm sorry that I've been avoiding you, and I'm sorry that I wasn't honest about it. I thought about telling you that I just needed some time to work things out, but that sounds really sketchy, doesn't it? I didn't want you to go crazy thinking about all of the things that could be going on in my life. Or am I the only one who over thinks things?"

"Aria, slow down." Ezra said, half-laughing at the speed at which she was spitting her words out. "I did worry. But not because of things I thought could be wrong, but because I know what happened. My mother said something to you, didn't she?"

"Yeah, she did." Aria said incredulously. "But it's not like she just . . . threatened me or something. It was the things she said."

"What did she say?"

Aria stared at her purse, which she clutched tightly in her lap, trying to ignore the painful memory of Diane's words. "Look, it doesn't matter what she said. I just needed some time to think it through and come to the conclusion that she was wrong about everything." Ezra gave her a dubious look. Aria sighed, debating whether she should tell him exactly what his mom said to her. Of course it mattered. And Aria knew that trying to forget her insults – and the truth in them – was taking the easy way out. Yes, that settled it – Ezra had to know. "Actually, there is something she said that I think you need to know."

"What is it?" Ezra asked, his eyes darkening the way they usually did when he was trying to look calm.

"She said that there could be 'real-world compensations' if I were to break-up with you."

"Compensations?" Ezra demanded, no longer making an effort to 'keep calm and carry on.' He jumped up and started pacing, running his hands across his face. "I can't believe her! I shouldn't even be surprised. This is so like my mother. She has this crazy, twisted idea of what happiness is. She expects that everyone should follow the perfect little plan she worked out for their lives! And when you don't – Watch out! – She'll buy your loyalty, and your future, and probably your free will, too. She is so . . . _full of it_. No, she is just absolutely pathetic." He paused, slowly sinking into the sofa. He gave Aria a remorseful glance as he grabbed her hands in his. "I'm sorry, Aria. I should have warned you. Or protected you. Or just insisted that we don't go the opening."

"No, it's not your fault. I'm the one who wanted to prove something by being accepted by your family. Obviously, that's not going to happen."

"Well, we don't need to associate with them. We'll keep our distance, and I'll sure as hell tell my mom to do the same."

* * *

"You know what Paige said to me on our first date?" Emily said, laughing at the memory of the 'rustic' location, the karaoke, and Paige's insights on her dating history.

"What?" Nate asked, looking interested but a little uncomfortable.

"She said that I obviously like ballsy women."

"I think she's right." Nate said with a smile. "What's she like?"

"Who, Paige?" Emily paused, wondering how to best describe Paige. "She's smart – really smart. And she's a great swimmer. She used to be extremely competitive, but now she's more relaxed. But still determined. She knows what she wants, and she definitely does what she needs to do to get it."

"And right now, she wants you,"

"I'm sorry," Emily said, trying not to feel offended. "Is that supposed to mean something?"

"No! No, not at all. I'm sorry if it sounded that way." Nate said apologetically. "It's just . . . strange to hear about your other girlfriends. Not bad, just . . . different. I guess it's because we've only talked about Maya for so long."

"I know what you mean. I didn't even think that I was ready for a new relationship, but after what you said to me the other day, I realized that I just didn't want to admit to myself that I still had feelings for Paige."

"Still?"

"Yeah. We sort of dated for a while, while Maya was away. But she wasn't ready to come out of the closet, and I wasn't ready to climb back in again."

"Sounds wise."

"Yeah. And, in case you were wondering, I don't have a crazy dating history or anything."

"I didn't mean to imply that you did."

"No, you didn't. I just want you to know that I loved Maya a lot, and I would do anything to bring her back." Emily paused, blinking rapidly to try and stop the tears that were blurring her vision. "In fact, the only other girls I liked were Samara and Ali."

"Ali? You mean the one that…?"

"Yeah, that Ali. But it was one-sided, and, even though I found it hard to admit it, she treated me like dirt whenever I tried to have a heart-to-heart with her. I really needed to talk about my feelings for her, but she refused to let me, and I think that made it hard for me to believe that my other friends would be okay with it." Emily wondered if she should be telling Nate all of this. It wasn't that she didn't trust him; she just wasn't sure whether he would think less of her if he knew that Maya wasn't the first or the only girl she had ever been in love with.

"Who was the other girl?" Nate asked, seemingly unaffected by her confession.

"Samara. But, I don't know, that was more like a fling. A buffer between Paige and Maya. It was fun, and short, and sweet, and even though I don't like the way it ended, I'm sort of glad that it's over. Thinking back, I doubt it would've turned into much."

"But you never really know, do you?"

"What do you mean?"

Nate paused, giving her a pointed look."Sometimes we fall in love with the most unexpected people."

* * *

"Wait, what?"

"You heard me,"

"No, you don't know what you're talking about. Lucas is not _suicidal_."

"Okay, then. Mind explaining why he jumped in front of a car ten minutes ago?"

"He what?"

"Hanna, we need you to come down to the station."

"Why?"

"Because we know that you were close to him."

"And how do you know that?"

"His family gave us a list of people who he's friends with."

"Why are you even handling this? Aren't you supposed to be looking for more evidence that could get Garrett behind bars for good?"

"Do you want me to send a squad car to get you?"

"Unless you have a warrant for my arrest, I'm not going anywhere. Got it?" With that, Hanna mustered up enough courage to hang up. When she turned around, Wren was gone. Hanna found it strange, since she couldn't have been on the phone for more than ten minutes. After waiting on the bench for a few minutes, her phone buzzed. It was a text from Wren.

_**So sorry, I'm on call tonight and there was an emergency. We'll talk more about us later. **_Hanna swallowed hard. This was all too much for her. Wren was into her; Spencer was mad at her; Caleb couldn't even stand talking to her. Lucas tried to kill himself because of her, her so called best friend was being the ultimate frenemy from inside an insane asylum, and someone was still sending her cryptic, threatening messages.

"My life sucks."

* * *

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have insisted that we do this." Spencer said, wrapping her hands around her cup of coffee and relishing the warmth it provided. She and Caleb had ended up at the Grille, which was, sadly, no longer one of Rosewood's hotspot – not since the New Window Brew opened. "I'll ask Hanna about it. No, scratch that, I'll wait for her to tell me."

"Do you think I was wrong to walk away?"

"Caleb, I don't know a lot about where you and Hanna stand right now. But, in my opinion, if you even have to ask . . ."

"Sort of like 'when in doubt, don't.'"

"Exactly." Spencer said. "We don't need to have some big discussion about your feelings for her, but I think you at least owe each other a chance at resolving everything."

"Are you planning to take your own advice?"

Spencer froze. "Why? Toby and I aren't over."

"No, I'm talking about you and Wren."

"There isn't a 'me and Wren.'" Spencer snapped.

Caleb was unaffected by her harsh tone. "Then why does it matter if Hanna likes him or not? I know why I don't like it. But who are _you _jealous of?"

"I don't think it's necessarily_ jealousy_." Spencer said defensively. "I just don't trust Wren's motives."

"He is kind of a sleaze, isn't he?" Caleb said, only half-joking.

Spencer smiled gratefully, glad that she had someone on her side. Yup, they were going to have a beautiful friendship.


	3. How Much HAte Would You Like With ThAt?

"Nate, who exactly are you talking about?"

Nate gave Emily a blank stare. "When?"

"Earlier. When you said that we sometimes fall for unexpected people."

"No one. I've just seen it happening a lot. It happened to me, too."

"It did?"

"Yeah. My first girlfriend and I had just broken up, and then this girl, Miranda, transferred to my school. She was such a bitch, and I absolutely _hated _the way she treated other people. But then her sister started dating my best friend, and we started seeing a lot of each other. Eventually, we were forced on this . . . _really _awkward double date. By then, I had realized that I was actually pretty attracted to her."

"What happened?"

"Well, a few disastrous dates later, she finally kissed me. Up until then, she had insisted that she had no romantic feelings for me at all. And that kiss was . . . _amazing_. In less than two months, I had fallen in love with this girl that I barely knew. I never would've expected it."

"Did she change? When you started dating, I mean."

"She did. For a while. But we started fighting, and she started taking it out on other people again. Pretty soon after that, we broke up."

"How long ago was this?"

"Three, four years ago. It still hurts a little, when I think about her. I know I did the right thing, I just wish that there could've been some way for us to stay together. We didn't even date for that long, but she was my first serious girlfriend."

"Was she the first girl you were in love with?"

Nate gave her a sideways glance. "Yeah. And, up until now, the only."

"Really?"

"Why are you so surprised?"

"I don't know. I guess it makes me feel kind of bad, for being only seventeen and already having been in love with two people." Emily paused. "Do you believe in soul mates?"

"I guess. I think we all meet people who we have a special connection with, even if we're not in love with them."

"And do you think we're meant to fall in love with certain people? Or is it our choice?"

"I think it's a mixture of chance and choice."  
"What do you mean?"

"We make decisions that influence what we do and who we meet. If I had gotten my way and gone to a private school, I would have missed out on a lot."

"I can't even imagine what my life would've been like if I had made any different choices."

"I know. It makes me kind of nervous, thinking about how one bad choice can really mess with fate."

"It is pretty scary. There's no way of knowing if you're living the way you should be, or if there's actually something better out there for you. I guess it just comes down to trusting yourself, and being content with where you are in life."

"Are _you_ content?"

Emily shot Nate a hesitant smile. "There are some things that I wish had worked out differently. But right now, yes, I am very content."

* * *

"Aria."

Aria tilted her head upwards and looked at Ezra, a peaceful expression on her face. Once he had calmed down, they had settled on his bed to watch _Casablanca_ with leftovers cartons of Chinese takeout. "Hmm?" She asked, giving him a serene smile.

"Your phone is ringing."

"Oh, thanks." Aria hopped off the bed and snatched her phone from the nightstand, hoping that it wasn't anything that would get her dragged away. She and Ezra were having a perfect night, and she'd hate for it to be ruined by a 'SOS' text.

**_I'm at the hospital – it's Lucas. _**

Aria sighed, reluctantly sending Hanna a confirmation text, assuring her that she'd be there as soon as possible. As much as she hated to leave, she felt concerned for Hanna and Lucas. _How would Hanna cope? What exactly had Lucas done? Did he try to hurt her, or had he actually gotten hurt in some sort of a rescue attempt? _

"Everything okay?" Ezra asked lazily, probably expecting the answer to be 'yes.' Aria found it amusing that, even after everything, Ezra still couldn't predict that their lives were never that simple. There would always be something; some type of drama.

"No, I have to go the hospital."

Ezra snapped to attention. "What? Why?"

"Lucas is in the hospital, not sure why. I need to be there, for Hanna's sake." After what he'd done to Emily, the thought of rushing to Lucas's aid was a joke. Nonetheless, Hanna needed her friends. Aria gave Ezra a quick peck. "I'll keep you posted. Bye!" Without giving him a chance to protest, Aria made her abrupt exit.

* * *

"No way! There is no way Hanna would go that far." Spencer said, still laughing as she raised her second cup of coffee to her lips and took a tiny sip.

"Yup," Caleb said confidently, his eyes shining as he tried not to laugh. "It was her dad's wedding, after all. And apparently, if she didn't use concealer on the zit behind my ear, somebody was going to notice."

"I can't believe that while everything was going on with A, Hanna still found time to obsess about your appearance."

Caleb suddenly sobered up. "So everything is really over with A?"

"Yes, of course. Mona can't hurt us anymore." Spencer thought her voice sounded too calculated – did her entire response just sound scripted and rehearsed? Still, considering their current positions, with a new, more dangerous A, it was better to tell a bad lie than be completely honest.

"I disagree." Caleb said. "If Hanna keeps visiting her, there are so many things Mona could say to manipulate her."

"But that's _her_ choice. It's not your problem anymore."

"I told you, I still care about her."

"No, you still want to _take_ care of her. I think you should talk to Hanna about that."

"Why should I?" Caleb asked in a dismissive tone.

"Because she can't keep thinking that you hate her."

"I'm sure she doesn't think that,"

Spencer was about to protest, but instead, her phone started its disruptive ringing. "Were your ears burning?" Spencer said jokingly as she answered it.

"What?" Hanna snapped. "Spencer, I can't believe you're joking right now."

"Why? What happened?" Spencer asked, jumping out of her chair and grabbing her purse, ready to go to Hanna's rescue.

"You don't know? I thought that Wilden was at least diligently creepy enough to give you all a call."

"Hanna-"

"Lucas tried to commit suicide." Hanna blurted out.

It took Spencer a minute to find her voice. "Are you . . . at the hospital?"

"Yeah." Hanna sounded as if she'd been crying. "I thought you might be with Caleb. He'll probably want to be here. I texted Aria and Em, and they're on their way."

"Okay, good. Just, hold on, Han, we'll be right over."

"I'm not the one you should be worried about right now." Hanna hung up, and Spencer had to face Caleb, her brows knitted together in a deep frown.

"Caleb, we need to go right now." Spencer lunged for her coat, dumping a few bills on the table on her rush out the door.

Caleb quickly caught up to her. "Mind telling my where we're going?"

"The hospital. It's Lucas."

* * *

"Hanna! What happened?" Spencer asked when she spotted Hanna in the waiting room at the hospital. After crying on the way to the hospital, Hanna had done an okay job of keeping it together. But once she was encircled in the comfort of her best friend's arms, she felt a fresh batch of tears springing into her eyes. Spencer was surprised that Hanna was having such an intense reaction to Lucas getting hurt, but she knew she shouldn't be. Hanna stayed loyal to her friends, even when she had no more reason to, and even if it was dangerous. Despite the fact that they had given Lucas the cold shoulder since he had started getting involved with A - or whatever he was involved with – none of them wanted to see him get seriously hurt.

Hanna took a second to regain her composure. Biting her lip and blinking quickly, she managed to stop the tears long enough for her to wipe her smeared makeup. However, it didn't last very long. Acting on impulse, Caleb also enveloped her in a hug, and the familiarity of having his arms wrapped around her was just too much – especially after everything that had happened. Once again, Hanna was unable to control her emotions, and this time, they were no longer silent tears, but rather heart-wrenching sobs. Caleb froze, unsure of how to react. After considering letting go for a second, he relaxed. He and Hanna may not be in the best place – figuratively speaking, of course - but he couldn't just stand by and watch her cry her heart out without doing anything.

Spencer, on the other hand, started feeling uncomfortable. Should she wait for Hanna to calm down? Should she try and find out what room Lucas was in? She couldn't just stand there and stare at Caleb and Hanna.

Sniffing loudly, Hanna slowly peeled herself off of Caleb's chest, offering him a small, embarrassed smile. She was glad that he didn't try to give her any sympathetic looks. "I'm gonna . . . go clean up." Hanna slowly walked to the ladies bathroom, and once inside, she carefully wet a piece of toilet paper to clean up the streaks of makeup residue that had ended up on her cheeks. Despite her dramatic outburst, brought on by the overwhelming emotions of the night, Hanna felt a lot better. She felt like she could breathe again. Once she had successfully reapplied her eyeliner and mascara – waterproof, this time – she ventured outside with a brisk walk.

"Ouch!" Hanna yelped as she collided with someone.

"Fancy running into you here." Wren said, amused. "Have you come to look for me? I'm sorry about earlier. This kid-"

"I know. That call I got? It was the police. Telling me about Lucas."

"So you two are friends?"

"We used to be. Is he okay?"

"He's a little beat up, as you can imagine. He'll be fine in a couple of weeks."

Hanna wasn't reassured with his positive report, not yet. "Did he break anything?"

"He has a few bruised ribs, a broken ankle bone, and a few nasty scrapes."

"No concussion or anything?"

"Surprisingly, no. A significantly small amount of damage was done, based on the speed the car was approaching."  
"How do you know how fast the car was going?" Hanna asked suspiciously.

Wren gave her a funny look. "The guy who hit him had a GPS, and it records his speed, among other things."

"So it wasn't, like, a hit or run?"

"No, the driver was apparently very cooperative. He's the one who made the 911 call."

"Do you know his name?"

"No, but I'm sure you can ask the police about it. They have two officers up there right now, ready to question your friend once he wakes up."

"I just don't get why he'd want to . . . do that. Maybe I should have described the pain I had after getting hit by a car in more gruesome detail."

Wren gave her a small smile. "I doubt that would've helped. But rest assured, Hanna, your friend will definitely be getting the help he needs."

Hanna's limbs suddenly turned icy cold, and she felt like she couldn't move. "Help?" She managed to choke out. "You're not going to be sending him to _Radley_, are you?"

"I doubt it. Of course, we'll need to assess his current state with the help of a psychiatrist, but I don't think it's very likely." Wren paused, gently wrapping his hand around her forearm, sensing that he needed to do more to get her full attention. "How are you handling everything?"

Hanna was surprised that he could invade her personal space so casually. She didn't necessarily mind, but she was aware of the fact that Caleb and Spencer could look over any second, and get the wrong idea. "I-I'm fine." Hanna said.

Wren released her arm after seeing how uncomfortable it made her. "I'm glad then. I should make my rounds, since I'm here already. Your friend is on the fourth floor, room four-B. He hasn't come to yet, but I'm sure his parents wouldn't mind if you and your friends wait around for a while."

"Thanks, Wren. I appreciate it." Hanna felt guilty for making Wren feel guilty for just trying to comfort her. He was simply being nice; she was the one who had made it into something more. Wren nodded, and gave her a small wave before disappearing into the elevator.

* * *

"How's Hanna doing?" Emily asked as she and Aria approached Spencer, who was waiting outside Lucas's private hospital room. "Is she in there with him now?"

"Sorry we're late," Aria interjected before Spencer could answer. "I had to pick Emily up, and it was a mission just to find her in that large crowd."

"My battery died." Emily offered apologetically.

"Don't worry about it," Spencer said. "She and Caleb just went in there, after Lucas's parents left; I guess his mom had to go back to the party, and his dad had to make a few calls."

"How is he? And Hanna?"

"Hanna is coping pretty well. And Lucas is fine." Spencer lowered her voice. "Although a part of me wishes he wasn't. After what he did to Emily-"

"What did he do?" Caleb asked with a deep frown as he slipped out of Lucas's hospital room. The girls were all startled, and shot each other hesitant looks. What could they say?

Aria was the first to speak up. "Oh, it's nothing, really."

Caleb was unsatisfied with her vague answer, and simply crossed his arms as he waited for a further explanation. Emily stepped in with a fast reply to save them. "It was just some gay comment. But he was drunk, and it was after I'd said a few bad things myself."

"When was this? That doesn't sound like Lucas."

"I guess he's changed. According to Hanna, he's been really different and . . . _distant_ since school started." Aria added. Caleb nodded, giving them one last scrutinizing glare before heading to the vending machine down the hall.

"That was close." Emily whispered, even though he was out of earshot.

Spencer breathed a sigh of relief. "We need to make sure Hanna tells him the same story. I'm gonna check on her." She darted into the hospital room, softly closing the door behind her. Hanna was sitting on a chair a few feet away from Lucas's bed, staring at him with scowl, even though her bloodshot eyes made her look more vulnerable than menacing.

"How's it going?"

Hanna's head shot up as she met Spencer's calm, steady gaze. "According to that bitchy nurse, he's going to be out for at least another hour."

"Strong pain meds?" Spencer asked, receiving only a quick nod in reply. "Hanna, you don't have to stay here. He doesn't deserve this."

"Well, neither does Mona, but I still go to Radley, don't I?"

"No. You don't go there because you feel sorry for her; you want answers. She owes you that."

Hanna's steeled eyes settled back on Lucas. "So does he. I want to know why he would be so stupid and selfish and go jump in front of a speeding car. I want to know what he knows about A, and what exactly he did to Emily. And I want to know why he hates us."

**Thanks for reading! I know my writing still has a long way to go - I'm able to justify any and all mistakes with a variety of different reason. **

**1) English is my third language.**

**2) I'm young. **

**3) I didn't reread this chapter for any mistakes.**

**Still, as long as it's actually helpful, I don't mind if you leave me some tips or constructive criticism! Tell me if it's over-dramatic; I think it is. My writing usually is - not on purpose, I'm just so laid-back in person that I have to be dramatic _somewhere_. **

**Also, I have a tendency to make my Author's Notes longer than the actual chapter, so I'm stopping now. R&R! **


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